QUESTION: There is a vacant lot at the corner of Waialae and Kapahulu avenues, with an abandoned building, graffiti, overgrown weeds, etc. There is a "No Trespassing" sign on the fence from the state Department of Transportation. It has been in this terrible condition for many years. This is a major corner, with high traffic, including many tourists on their way from Waikiki to the airport. Just knocking down the building and clearing the weeds once in a while would be a huge improvement. Could you get a response from the DOT?
QUESTION: The state-owned parcel at Waialae and Kapahulu avenues is an eyesore, overgrown with weeds, disfigured by graffiti and encumbered with a progressively collapsing structure. What does the state intend to do with it? With basic sanitation facilities could it be a candidate for a trial homeless "amnesty" camping zone? After all, it’s right across Waialae from a recycling center, which is a main source of income for the homeless.
ANSWER: For now the 5,000-square-foot property remains in vacant limbo, although the Department of Transportation says its Highways Division maintains the property "on an as-needed basis" while using an outside contractor to trim bushes that grow through the fence.
We passed by the property recently and saw that the weeds and overgrowth had been cut, although the graffiti-covered building remains.
In 2007, based on similar complaints to Kokua Line, the DOT said it planned to sell the long-vacant property, but that plan got tangled in legal issues and hasn’t been pursued because of a law passed by the state Legislature in 2009.
Seven years ago we reported the "run-down property," previously leased to The Tree People, was being put up for a second auction. The property initially had been auctioned off for $1.1 million in 2005, but the bidder was unable to close the purchase.
Legal issues surrounding that bidder prevented the DOT from re-auctioning the property in 2007, said spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter.
Then, in 2009, the Legislature passed Act 176, which became Section 171-64.7 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, setting up a legislative pre-approval process that must be completed before any state-owned land is sold. (See is.gd/8CSRU7.)
Effects of that law on "the sale of all state government-owned land has placed any future auction of this property on hold," Sluyter said.
That’s because, in order to receive legislative approval to proceed with a new auction, the law requires the DOT to develop long-term plans for the property following the sale, she said.
However, because "the property in question is to be auctioned, long-term plans cannot be developed with all interested parties before the sale. Therefore, legislative approval for the sale cannot be acquired," Sluyter said.
Asked whether the DOT is looking to have the law amended or to seek an exemption, she said no, because it only affects "a couple of properties under DOT jurisdiction."
For now she said the DOT is examining other options, which may include demolishing the existing structures and reassessing potential uses of the property.
WAIMANALO RECYCLING
The fifth annual Waimanalo Community Recycling Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Waimanalo Beach Park, accepting items from electronics and TVs to used cooking oil and clothing to batteries and propane tanks.
Not accepted: paint, microwave ovens, motor oil and other hazardous fluids, cardboard, paper, plastics, wood and bulky items.
Email renemansho@hawaii.rr.com or call 291-6151 for more information on the first "Going Green" event of 2014.
AUWE
To the person who hit a cat on Kamaile Street on Dec. 3 and did not stop. I know she was "only a cat" to you, but Maile was a part of a family. We took her to the vet, but she was too hurt to save. It broke a lot of hearts when she died. — Holly
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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
